From His Past
by lieutenants-lady
Summary: (ATP)When someone from Jon's past show up, we find out why he dislikes the Vulcans so much. (Rated for possible language and scenes of violence)CHAPTER TWO IS UP
1. Fear

This is set in season two, sometime after 'Future Tense' and before all that Xindi stuff.

Thank you to my Beta, G.Eliot, for her patience with my ramblings.

Spoilers: The Seventh, Shadows of P'Jem

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Jonathan and T'Pol sat in the Captains mess, eating quietly. It was just the two of them, as Trip had a problem to fix in Engineering. Something to do with the refitting the plasma manifolds to accommodate a different type of Warp plasma. They had recently been running tests with the new Warp Plasma supply that they had picked up on Rigel 2, and so Engineering was extra busy.

T'Pol had headed the supply run, but hadn't wanted to. She was concerned about the Captain. He had been unusually quiet for several weeks before the team had departed and had T'Pol had not anticipated the state in which she found him on her return.

His face was grey with fatigue, and he had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in weeks. His seemed distracted when he was on the bridge, and he was spending much more time than usual in his ready room.

The night before, she had happened upon him in the corridor. She was going to the gym when she had turned a corner and had almost walked into the captain. He was wandering down the corridor with Porthos by his side, and had been looking at an image on a data PADD. T'Pol had only caught a glimpse of bright colours before he had quickly hidden the PADD.

And now, he looked like he was going to cry for some reason. She was concerned about him; as a friend and as a colleague. She had to try to help before his work was affected too adversely.

"Captain," T'Pol began, "Is something the matter?"

"Huh?" Jon replied. He had been lost in his own world of thought, and was startled when T'Pol broke the silence.

"For the past several days, even before we left to apprehend Jamal, you have been more subdued than usual. I am beginning to get concerned."

"Oh."

"When you helped me track down Menos, I told you that I would be there if you ever needed anyone to trust. I meant it. You can trust me."

"You know what?" Jon asked thoughtfully, "I think I can. Ironic really, considering it's Vulcans that are at the root of the problem."

"I beg your pardon?"

"No offence intended T'Pol, really. It's just this problem goes was back; almost twenty years. And recently, I've just been thinking a lot about it."

T'Pol stood and moved to the chair that Trip usually occupied. Shifting it closer to the Captain, she put one hand on his arm and looked into his troubled eyes.

"I am here to listen, if you wish to tell me," she told him.

Jon looked deeply into her eyes, resisting the urge to get lost in their depths.

He loved her. There. He'd finally admitted it to himself. He loved T'Pol with every fiber of his being, but there was no chance that she'd ever learn to feel anything more than friendship for him.

If friendship was what she was offering, then he would gladly take it. He'd trust her with his life and his ship, and had done so on several occasions. Perhaps it was time to trust her with the biggest secret he had.

"Ok, I'll tell you," he said, trying not to notice the way her eyes lit up when he told her that. "Not many people know this, not even Admiral Forrest. Only Trip knows the full story, and that is because he's my best friend, and I've know him for ten years."

"Then I am honoured that you wish to tell me." T'Pol told him sincerely.

"Don't speak too soon," Jon attempted to joke, but his heart wasn't in it. "Ok. Here we go. Just, don't interrupt me, please. I feel I can only say this once."

T'Pol nodded in assent, and Jon cleared his throat to speak.

"It started eighteen years ago. I was twenty two and living in San Francisco..."

Jon spoke for the better part of an hour. It seemed to T'Pol that once he started, he couldn't stop. He told her everything, even crying at one point, but she never said a word, as promised, until he had finished.

T'Pol was very surprised, to say the least. What he told her had completely changed what she knew about Vulcan/human interspecies relations. Though, it did finally explain his seemingly irrational dislike of Vulcans. It had always seemed to T'Pol that there was more to it than just the hoops they made his father jump through. Now she knew. It was personal.

Jon had laid his head on his folded arms on the table, as if he couldn't meet her eyes. She placed a slender hand on his arm to get his attention.

"I think I understand now," she told him. "When I was recalled to Vulcan because of the destruction of P'Jem, you told me that the Vulcans had taken something from your father that meant a lot to him, and that you weren't going to let it happen to you. What you really meant was that you weren't going to let it happen to you again."

"That's right."

"I used to think your dislike of Vulcans merely a species stereotype, but I was wrong. My people have taken so much from you, and caused you so much pain. It is a wonder that you do not hate me also."

Jon turned swiftly to face her.

"No T'Pol, I could never hate you. I swear it."

They looked into each other's eyes, and an unspoken bond of something more than friendship was formed.

Without a word, T'Pol pulled her Captain into a tight embrace. His head rested in the crook of her neck, and his arms went around her waist.

They stayed like that for a long time.

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**Three Weeks Later...**

'For a vacuum, there sure is a lot of noise' Hoshi thought as she sat at her station a few weeks later. Space was supposed to be silent, but constant static could be heard through her earpiece at the comm. station.

Crackle... crackle... Help... Crackle....

Wait, what was that?

Hoshi reconfigured her sensors, and scanned subspace again.

Yes, there defiantly was something there. Some sort of distress call.

'I'd better tell the Captain,' she thought, and activated the com.

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Jon couldn't help it. He had to laugh. T'Pol just looked so confused when she used chopsticks. He and Trip were trying to hide their grins at her frustration when the call came through to the Captain's mess.

"Bridge to the Captain."

"Go ahead Hoshi." Jon told her, shooting Trip a dirty look when he snorted loudly in amusement at T'Pol, for she was attacking her bean sprouts once more with the difficult utensils, and renewed vigor

"Sir, I'm picking up a distress call, bearing point seven light years from our current position. It's a bit garbled, but I'm sure I caught the words "Nausican" and "Pirates".

"Tell Travis to change course and head for the source of the signal. We're on our way Hoshi," Jon told her as the three officers exchanged looks of concern, and as one stood.

"Id better get to Engineering," Trip said as he reached the door. "Last time we met these guys, it wasn't fun. I just want to make sure we're in top shape if we do have to out-maneuver them."

He jogged off down the corridor, and Jon stood back to allow T'Pol to precede him. As she passed him, their arm's brushed lightly, and energy crackled between them. Both stiffened their shoulders, and walked to the lift with about a foot of space between them.

After Jon had poured his heart out to T'Pol in the mess hall, their mutual attraction had grown, and they had begun a relationship. Though she was his sub-ordinate, T'Pol technically wasn't in Starfleet, and so she had used logic to win that argument. They both agreed to keep it completely professional on duty, but it was hard on the few occasions they had touched. Fire leapt between them when they did, and it took a lot of will-power to take a stand back from that.

"Report." Jon demanded when they reached the bridge.

"We should reach the source of the distress call in twenty two minutes Captain," Malcolm told him as Jon sat in his chair. "I have both the phase cannons and torpedo armed and ready in case we have to tangle with these Nausicans."

"Excellent. Hoshi?"

"I've managed to clear up most of the signal sir. It's an automated distress call, about an hour old. It's very short, and urgent. It's from a Vulcan survey ship sir. It came to the aid of a cargo ship that was under attack by Nausicans. The cargo ship managed to escape, and they were about to do the same when two more Nausican ships arrived. They are asking for immediate help." She listened for a moment again. "They were boarded sir."

"T'Pol, scan the area for any Nausican ships," Jon told her, even though she was already doing it.

"There are none within a light year," she informed him. "They must have looted the ship." He could hear the strain in her voice, and knew she was concerned. She had many friends in the Department of Science, and many of them work on survey ships. In an attempt to ease her concern, he asked Hoshi

"What's the name of this ship?"

She listened again for a moment, head cocked to cone side, and one finger on her earpiece.

"It's the TeDu'n Captain. It's a stellar-cartography vessel sir."

He turned to T'Pol, intending to ask her if she knew anyone on that ship, when his brain caught up with his body.

The TeDu'n.

A science vessel.

Oh god! It was her ship!

His panicked eyes met T'Pol's concerned ones. She too understood the significance of the name of the ship, though no-one else on the bridge understood Jon's sudden need to pace furiously.

He needed to get there! The ship was going to slow! He was about to ask Travis if it would help if he got out and pushed when they dropped out of Warp.

"On screen," Jon ordered, ignoring the looks that passed between the rest of the bridge crew.

The TeDu'n was a small vessel, Shadan class, with a crew of twenty five. Though not too heavily shielded, or heavily armed, the Shadan class ships had extremely accurate sensors, and fast engines. This one looked like it had been used for target practice. Gaping holes pock-marked the hull, and a smoke billowed from one section of the craft. Jon felt his heart leap into his throat when he asked the question he was dreading the answer to.

"Life signs?"

"I am sensing three bio-signs, though I cannot pin-point them accurately. The Nausican weapons have left too much interference in the area surrounding the ship."

"Three?" Jon asked, incredulous. "Three life-signs! There should be twenty five!"

Malcolm exchanged a surprised look with Travis. How did the Captain know so much about this class of ship? And why was he so worried? He looked across into Hoshi's eyes, and saw the same questions mirrored there.

"It seems that the pirates did their job well," T'Pol said, her calm voice betraying traces of disgust at the attack on her people.

"Ok, I want two teams over there searching for survivors. Malcolm, you take one, I'll take the other. Use hand held scanners. You start at the stern of the ship, and I'll take the bridge. We'll meet in the middle."

As Jon spoke, he was headed towards the lift, closely followed by Malcolm.

"T'Pol, you have the bridge."

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Jon's team materialized on the bridge, amidst chaos. Alarms and claxons were going off, and a thick smoke pervaded the air. There were bodies scattered across the bridge, and green blood ran freely from various wounds. Some had obviously been killed when the ship was attacked and consoles exploded, others had been killed by the Nausican boarding party.

Whilst the away team moved towards the panels to try and assess the damage to the ship and turn off the alarms, Jon ran to the pilot's chair, and pulled back the body slumped over it. To his relief, it wasn't her. The pilot was middle-aged and plump, and male. He felt guilty for his relief as he stood to answer his communicator.

"Archer."

"Sir." It was Malcolm on the other end. "We're picked up all three life-signs in an aft compartment. We're approaching there now."

"Understood. We're on our way, there's nothing we can do for these people up here."

Flipping his communicator closed, he nodded to the others, and they left the bridge.

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Malcolm and his team advanced carefully, a phaser in one hand. All members of the away team had been armed, on his order, and for once the Captain didn't argue. He seemed too anxious to get over to the other ship to squabble over technicalities.

As his team had walked the corridors of the ship, they had found traced of green, Vulcan blood next to the bodies of the crew. Now, there was purple blood in the mix. Nausican blood, Malcolm guessed. It looked like someone had fought back. Though there were no Nausican bodies.

The corridor was dark, as if someone had turned of the lights in order to hide a retreat. The bio-signs were located in a room up ahead. He called out to the occupants, and either they couldn't hear him, or weren't answering him. He rapped on the bulkhead, but got no response.

Carefully he thumbed the door control, and it slid open, spilling light into the corridor, blinding the away team. Once his vision had adapted, Malcolm looked up and found himself face to face with a plasma rifle.

It was wielded by a young Vulcan woman. She had light brown hair, and a slight build. She was about the same height as Malcolm, and was dressed in a tight-fitting cat suit without rank or insignia. By human standards, she looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, but that wasn't saying much because this was a Vulcan. Malcolm could see two other Vulcans behind her, obviously hurt, and realized that she was the one protecting them.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her grip never wavering on the rifle.

"My name is Malcolm Reed," he told her. "Lieutenant Malcolm Reed. I'm the tactical officer..."

He trailed off as her gaze shifted and she moved her rifle to cover the arrival of the other away team. They all had their weapons out, but Jon dropped his when he was who was training the rifle on him.

"Tesana," he said, slowly walking forward into the light. "Drop your weapon. It's me."

Immediately, the young Vulcan, Tesana, lowered the rifle and rested it against the doorframe. Then, she did something no-one but Jon expected her to do.

She hurtled herself into Jon's outstretched arms, and allowed herself to be hugged half to death.

Tesana rested her cheek against Jon's chest, and hugged him back.

"I'm so pleased that it is you," she told him.

"I know honey, me too. I've missed you so much." Jon said, smiling down at her. She turned to look into his face, seeming pleased with what she saw in his eyes.

The away teams looked on in shock, and got an even larger shock when the corners of her mouth turned up into a delicate smile.

"I've missed you too, Father," she told him, and again rested her cheek on Jon's chest.

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What do ya think?

R&R Please!

Lieutenantslady


	2. Reunions

Hi guys, sorry for the wait. But, I'm in the middle of my thesis, and I just don't have enough hours in the day. Sorry.

Emiliana: Just wait and see.

ReflectedWord: Enjoy

Exploded Pen: Calm yourself!

Annapixiebell: Hope you like it

Dennisud: Thanks. You'll just have to wait and see.

Lurkch: Don't worry, there's a lot more.

Rose68 and Angelus-2003: Glad you liked it.

Anna Yolei: I'm a big fan of twists and cliffhangers. So expect a few more of them.

Shippygirl: I love surprising people. Glad you liked it.

G.Eliot: Are you complaining about the endings? (blinks innocently)

Ed: Hope you didn't have to wait too long.

Thanks to G.Eliot, my ever fabulous Beta.

I know Tesana is acting very un-Vulcan-like, and even though she is half human, she is still not very controlled at times. All will be explained in the next few chapters. Just, give me time. I do have a thesis to write, you know. I will also explain how not too many people knew about her existence. Just give me time.

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Jon knew that what Tesana had just said came as a huge shock to the away team, but at the moment he just didn't care. His daughter was safely ensconced in his arms, and that was all that mattered. He pulled back a little, giving her room to breathe.

"Are you alright?" he asked, checking her for injuries. He just couldn't believe that she wasn't injured.

"Father, father, relax. I am uninjured." she assured him as he made a move to take out his scanner and check her. He was so protective of her, and Tesana's heart warmed at the thought. Her mother and her family barely tolerated her, seeing her as an embarrassment. Her father though showered her with love and attention, as did Uncle Trip. Even Porthos showed more affection towards her than Mother.

"You're sure?" he asked, still not convinced. "I can get Doctor Phlox over here if you think you need him. I..."

"Father, getting a Doctor over here would be a good idea, but not for me. There are two injured crewmembers in there," she told him, indicating to the open door. Jon finally looked past his daughter, and the stunned crewmen. Two Vulcan men half-lying against the back wall of the room.

"Ensign McLachlan, could you please contact Enterprise, and tell them to get Phlox over here with a medical team? We've got two Vulcans with minor injuries, but they need attention."

Jon motioned for the away team to attend the hurt pair, and Tesana followed. She crossed the room to help the older of the two Vulcans.

"It will be alright Tiven," Tesana assured him as she reached him. "These people will help you." She reached out an arm to help him up, but he backed away from her touch, a look of distain on his face. Tesana stood, hurt flashing in her eyes, and called to Malcolm.

"Lieutenant Reed, could you please assist Lieutenant Tiven? I think he would be more comfortable with a male."

"Certainly eh... Miss..." Malcolm was a little lost as to what to call her. She had called the Captain father, but he was still unsure to call her. Did she have a rank? After all, she did serve on a science vessel.

"My name is Tesana Archer." she told him. "You may call me Tessa, as my father does." There was a slight smile on her lips as she told him that, and Malcolm couldn't help but stare at her. She moved with the kind of fluid grace that Malcolm had only ever seen T'Pol exhibit. But, if he looked hard enough, he could see traces of the Captain in her features, especially her eyes. They were full of life, and mischief.

She smiled at him, and moved away to help the other fallen Vulcan, who gratefully accepted her assistance. Malcolm blinked again in shock, then remembering his duty; he bent to help Lieutenant Tiven.

Archer's com chirped, and he flipped it open.

"Archer."

"Sir," Hoshi said, "Doctor Phlox is beaming over with a medical team, but Commander Tucker is insisting on joining them. He spoke with T'Pol, and now he's insisting he accompany the team over."

"It's alright Hoshi. Send them all over." Jon understood Trip's reaction. If he spoke to T'Pol, then he knew that it was Tessa's ship, and was naturally worried about his honourary niece.

The whine of a transporter sounded down the corridor. Phlox and Trip appeared followed by Ensign's Cutler and West who were training as medics.

"Captain," Trip called, running down the hall. "I spoke to T'Pol. Is she..."

He got no further. Tesana turned at the sound of his voice, and shrieked, "Uncle Trip!" and as she ran at him, launching her self into his arms, everyone stopped and stared as their chief engineer swung her around.

"How's my favourite God-daughter?" he teased.

"Uncle Trip, I'm your only God-Daughter, because your sister Alex doesn't trust you not to corrupt her children."

"True, true." Trip replied, ruffling her hair.

"And father thought that since I'm half Vulcan, I stand a better chance of surviving your influence."

"And look how that one turned out," Jon joked, putting an arm around her shoulders. "You get into more trouble than he does!"

"It's not my fault," Tessa objected. "Things just... happen, much to Mother's annoyance."

She stopped, suddenly realizing that they were the focus of attention of the entire room. Jon broke this, by asking Phlox,

"Doctor, is it safe to move them?" Indicating to the two injured Vulcans.

"Yes Captain. There is not much more we can do for them here. I need to get them back to sickbay."

"Alright, Phlox, you take Ensigns Cutler and west and beam back to the ship with your two patients. We'll follow, and I'll be bringing Tessa here in for a checkup right away, alright?"

Phlox nodded in agreement, even as Tesana protested.

"Father, I told you. I am uninjured."

"And I'm telling you that you are getting checked out," Jon countered, grinning at the flash of very un-Vulcan-like fire in her eyes. "That's an order," he told her, before she could argue again.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and pouted, muttering something about him being a dictator, and her not being part of his crew. Jon grinned at the confused and dumb-founded expression on his crew's face, all except for Trip of course. He was just grinning like an idiot.

"What?" Trip asked Malcolm, who was staring at Tessa with his mouth open. "Don't tell me you've never seen a sixteen year old sulk before." (A/N I'm not sure about the aging of half Vulcans, so I'm just assuming that a sixteen year old Vulcan would look the same age as a sixteen year old human. If I'm wrong, I apologize, but I need it to be the same for this fic.)

"I am not sulking," Tessa pouted, before flouncing over to pick up her weapon. "I'm protesting under my breath."

Jon and Trip burst out laughing, and Jon opened his com.

"Archer to Enterprise. We're ready."

The medical team and their patients were beamed up first, then Jon, Tessa and Trip, and followed by the rest of the security team. Jon was greeted at the transporter by T'Pol.

"Captain, I trust all is well?" she asked meaningfully. She knew that if Jon's daughter had been injured or killed in the attack, he would not be smiling so broadly now. In fact, she knew he'd be a mess. He moved slightly to one side, and she saw the object of his smiles. A young Vulcan woman was standing behind him, looking around her in wonder.

"So this is your ship?" she asked. "Mother forbade me from learning anything about it. I tried to look it up on the computer, but she had locked out all information, and even I couldn't break into it."

T'Pol looked surprised at that comment, and Jon grinned again.

"T'Pol, may I introduce my daughter, Tesana Archer. Tessa, this is my first officer, Sub-Commander T'Pol." The two women nodded in acknowledgement of the other's presence, each regarding the other with curiosity. Crewman Turner, who was manning the transporter controls, was staring at the girl in shock. Did the Captain say that it was his daughter? She had pointed ears. His daughter was a Vulcan?

"Sir, I'd better take over the controls before Crewman Turner has a heart attack," Trip said, smirking at the look on the poor crewman's face. Turner flushed deeply at the remark, and turned his attention back to the controls as Jon, Tessa and Trip stepped down off the platform.

"Right, straight to sickbay," Jon said as they started down the corridor.

"But Father, I told you I was uninjured."

"And I said that it wasn't a request, it was an order."

"She is not under your command Captain," T'Pol reminded him, and Tessa threw her a grateful glance.

"Not a Captain's order. A father's order. You're sixteen Tessa, a minor on both Earth and Vulcan. I can make you go to the Doctor."

"Dictator," she grumbled.

"After that, you can go to my quarters. I'm sure Porthos will be pleased to see you."

"Oh, I missed Porthos," Tessa smiled. A passing crewman saw the smile, and the pointed ears, and promptly walked into a wall. Tessa giggled, and that caused him to stumble as he looked back over his shoulder at her.

"Tessa, stop making a shambles of my crew, please? Trip, please escort Tessa to sickbay, and don't let her distract you this time."

"What?" Trip asked, trying and failing to look innocent.

"Well, the last time she was on Earth, I asked you to bring her to the dentist because she broke a tooth and I was working. And where did I find out you had gone afterwards?"

Trip blushed, and Tessa giggled at his discomfort.

"She charmed you into taking her for ice-cream instead."

"Captain that was a long time ago..."

"She was thirteen Trip. And she had you wrapped around her little finger."

"She has _me_ wrapped around her little finger?" Trip argued. "I seem to remember a certain Christmas..."

"Alright, alright," Jon cut him off, blushing lightly. "Tessa, Trip will take you to sickbay. Stay with her, OK Trip? Come and find me after that."

"Where will you be?" she asked, unwilling to be separated again from her father.

"I'll be talking to Admiral Forrest."

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Again, sorry for the wait for this chapter.

R&R please


	3. Explanations

Ok, I'm really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, sorry it took me so long to update. Really. I got caught up in other projects and my college work, and I lost track of time. I'll update more now, I promise.

Anywhoo, this is the long awaited third chapter, produced by much poking by my Beta, G.Eliot. (She literally poked me with a stick until I got it done.) Not really. Please don't kill me! No!!! 'Runs in fear'

By the way, thanks G.Eliot. and I'm sorry I gave you so many heart attacks with this chapter. But I wrote it at 12.30 at night, and was tired. So typos were to be expected. However, YOU HAVE A FILTHY MIND!!!!

So, on with the fic.

X X X X

"Your daughter!!" Admiral Forrest choked out as he stared at Jonathan Archer on the computer screen. "What do you mean your daughter was on that ship? Starfleet has no record of any human, civilian child on a Vulcan science vessel."

"That's because she isn't human sir. At least not fully human," Jon answered calmly. "Tessa is half Vulcan."

Forrest's face was suffused with colour and Jon could see him make a concentrated effort to control his temper, and stop another outburst.

"I think Captain," Forrest bit out, stressing the word Captain, "that you should start explaining yourself. Begin with how this happened, and why I was not informed!!! There is a note on your file that you have a daughter who you rarely see because of complications with her mother. But it says nothing about her being half Vulcan!!!"

Jon took a deep breath. For years, he was forced to practically deny his child, but no longer. He was no longer an easily intimidated young ensign. He was a Captain, a force to be reckoned with, and he would no longer be strong-armed into hiding his daughter. Besides, he was sure that the word was out all over the ship about what happened over on the TeDu'n.

"Well sir, I wasn't always as cynical about the Vulcans as I am now. When I was younger, they fascinated me. Anyway, it all started eighteen years ago, on my first assignment since graduating from the academy.

"When you were running test flights for the NC-955 ships?" the Admiral asked, trying to remember the details.

Jon nodded. "Yes. There was a Vulcan contingent at the base. Most of them were the typical Vulcans; very controlled, superior acting and irritating! Anyway, Anev was different. She was less inhibited than her co-workers, and very inquisitive about humans. We used to have long talks about everything and anything. I thought we were friends." Jon said in a quiet voice.

"What happened Jon?" Forrest asked, his voice equally as hushed.

"I was seeing this girl at the time. Her name was Carrie. I was so crazy about her." Jon replied wistfully, as if lost in a memory. "I had been going out with her for six months, and one night I decided to surprise her by taking her out to dinner. I had finished early and went to her apartment. But when I got there, she wasn't alone."

Admiral Forrest sighed. He had a feeling where this story was going, and just knew that copious levels of alcohol were going to be involved.

"Let me guess," Forrest said. "There was another man there."

Jon smiled grimly.

"Yes. She was _entertaining_ someone else… my best friend at the time Will Bloom."

Forrest winced in sympathy.

"Ouch!"

"Tell me about it," Jon snorted. "Anyway, after I punched him a few times, I went and got myself utterly and completely drunk. I mean, I wasn't just seeing double, I was seeing triple! I could barely stand by the time Ruby kicked me out of the 602 Club sometime after 2.00 am. Anyway, I wandered home, eventually. And there, sitting by my front door was Anev. She said she had been worried about me, because she couldn't get in contact with me. She opened the door for me because I my hands were shaking so badly I was likely to do myself injury with the key card. She brought me inside and listened to my tale of woe." Jon finished the sentence sarcastically and Forrest could feel how bitter Jon was about the whole thing.

Forrest sighed. He didn't like where this was going. Jon saw the look on his face, and interrupted his train of thought.

"I know what you're thinking, but I swear, it was all her idea. Funny, the one time that I remember everything when I'm completely gone is the one time I want to forget," Jon sighed. He really didn't want to be telling the Admiral the rest, as it wasn't his finest moment, but he had to.

"Anyway, Anev kissed me. I wasn't so far gone that I didn't realize that this was unusual, and pulled back. She told me that she found me attractive, and had been for some months, contemplating exploring the concept of human sexuality." Jon said the last scornfully.

(A/N That's just my little dig at Trip and T'Pol's relationship in Season three. Sorry to any Trip/T'Pol shippers out there, but I'm a firm believer of the shippy goodness of Archer and T'Pol)

"She persuaded me in the end, though to be honest, I didn't need much persuasion."

"Jon, I can't believe I'm asking this, but didn't you use protection?"

"The chances of Anev conceiving were astronomical, so we didn't think of that. So, the next morning, I woke up to a killer hangover and an empty bed. Anev was gone. She had left some time in the night. Luckily I was off that day, so as soon as I pulled myself together, I went looking for her. I found her at the Vulcan Compound.

She told me that what happened was a mistake, and that she was asking to be reassigned to a different department. I realized then that she had never been my friend, that she had been just using me to further her own study into humanity. So naturally, I stormed off, swearing to myself that I'd never speak to her again."

"Three months later, I was walking home from work, when two Vulcans fell in to step beside me. They informed me that I would be accompanying them to the Vulcan Compound in Sausalito and obviously, I had no choice but to go with them. I was brought into a room. Suval was there."

Forrest closed his eyes. "Please tell me that Anev isn't Suval's daughter or niece or related to her in any way?" he begged Jon, who smiled slightly.

"No, she's not. Suval was her supervisor though, and naturally, he blamed me. He didn't accuse me of rape, but he made it clear that he felt that I held all the blame. He informed me that as a result of my _liaison_ with Anev," Jon's lip curled in disgust at the word liaison, as it was the one Suval had used, "that she was pregnant. I was shocked; I mean I couldn't speak for ten minutes. The odds against that happening… Anyway, after the shock wore off, I was so happy. I love kids, and always wanted lots of my own. Anev however, didn't want the child.

I spoke with Anev eventually. I begged her no give me custody of the child, but she wouldn't. Apparently, she wouldn't trust that I could raise her child to respect Vulcan customs. In fact, she actually told me that no Human would ever raise her child. Even though she didn't want the baby, she wouldn't let me have custody of her."

Forrest remained silent, as he could see the emotions play across the Captain's face; the grief, the hurt, the betrayal. Jon took a steadying breath, and continued, though he spoke around the lump that had developed in his throat.

"I was sworn to secrecy. I was only a young Ensign at the time, and was intimidated by Suval and the older Vulcans. They wanted to keep secret the fact that Vulcans have faults and failings too. I agreed, and have regretted that ever since. My daughter was born sixteen years ago. I wasn't allowed to see her until she was nearly a month old.

I had spoken to Anev a few times during the pregnancy, and I begged her that if it was a girl, that she would be named after my mother. Her name was Tessa, and as you know Sir, she died when I was twelve. Anev refused to call her the human name, but compromised. There is a Vulcan name, Tesana, and she called my little girl this, so I could shorten it to Tessa. When I saw her first Admiral, she became my whole world. She had the tiniest little pointed ears, and she smiled up at me when I held her for the first time. I was smitten.

I was allowed limited access to her, only for a few hours every week. When she hit two, I spoke to a lawyer about getting custody of Tessa. I wasn't happy with the way Anev treated her. She barely tolerated her, while I adored her. I swore the lawyer to secrecy first, but he said that there was no chance that I would win against the Vulcans. Anev was trying to raise her as a full Vulcan, and tried to ignore her human heritage. Imagine! She wouldn't give me custody because she thought I wouldn't give credit to her Vulcan roots, and here she was doing the same to me!!

But, I persevered. Anev had given up piloting ships, and now worked on computers, but that was the only concession she made for her child. As Tessa grew older, she began to question her mother about me. About why I couldn't see her much. About her Human side. When Tessa was eight, Anev decided that she had enough, and moved to Vulcan, again against my will. Whereas before I saw Tessa once or twice a week, I could now go months without seeing her. She visited Earth whenever she could though. It soon became obvious to me that Tessa would never be a proper Vulcan. Her emotions ran high, and she embraced her human side, much to her mother's disgust.

The last time I saw her was when she was fourteen, just before we shipped out on our mission. I was so proud when she informed me that she wished to have my last name, as she felt more human than Vulcan. She legally changed her name to Tesana Archer. I received semi-regular letters from her, and when she was fifteen, Anev got her a job as a pilot on the TeDu'n. I didn't want her to go on the ship. She was too young! Granted, she had finished her schooling the year before, because she's an absolute genius, but I just thought she was too young. But, as in all things concerning my daughter, I was overruled. The rest you know."

Forrest sat back in his chair, clearly stunned at the amount of information he had just received. The story seemed completely off the wall, but there was a ring of truth about it, especially the stubbornness and pride of the Vulcans.

After a long silence, Forrest sat up straight in his chair again. "I assume Commander Tucker knows about her?"

"Yes Sir. She is his god-daughter, and he is her honourary uncle."

"Right. And who else knows? Does Sub-Commander T'Pol know?"

"Yes. I told her a few weeks ago. It was Tessa's birthday, and I couldn't be there with her. She was sixteen. I must have been acting off character, and T'Pol caught me looking at a PADD full of images of her, so I told her the truth, because I trusted her. She was very kind and compassionate, seeing things from my side, instead of immediately siding with her people. Since we came across the TeDu'n, several people have found out that she is my daughter, and I've decided that I'm not going to keep it a secret any more. She's my daughter, Sir. I'm proud of her, and I want to tell the universe that she is my daughter."

Forrest thought for a moment.

"The Vulcans aren't going to like it," he commented.

Jon' reply of "Screw the Vulcans" brought a smile to the Admirals lips.

"I'm not going to be able to talk you out of it; to try to keep it secret for a while longer?"

"No sir. My mind is made up. I'm not some young Ensign any more. I can stand up to the Vulcans."

"Don't I know it." The Admiral commented wryly. "Alright Jon, I'll trust your judgment. You do know I'm going to have to tell this to the Council, don't you?"

"I know Sir, and I don't care."

"Alright then. Talk to you soon Jon," Forrest said, and the screen went blank.

Jon sat back in his chair, exhausted. To tell the truth, it wasn't as hard as he'd expected it to be. He turned to the photo on his desk, and smiled. It was one that showed him with Tessa sitting on his shoulders. Trip had taken it during an outing to a carnival, and it showed the two Archers with identical grins on their faces (Tessa had inherited his smile along with his expressive green eyes.) They were on Earth in the picture, and Tessa had plaits covering her pointed ears. Jon smiled at the memory. He became quite adept at plaiting hair. Tessa also had an amazing array of hats for a ten year old. It had been a happy day.

Jon shook himself from the memory. "Wake up Archer" he told himself. "She's here, on your ship, and you are sitting there looking at a photo? Go find her!" he ordered himself, and then quickly complied. He leapt up from his chair, and bounded to his door, a huge smile on his face.

He was looking forward to spending time with his little girl.

…………………..

I hope this has cleared up some of the questions people have about Tessa. The next for chapters will have some angst in them, and possibly an appearance from Anev.

Again, sorry for the delay.

R & R please.

LieutenantsLady


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